Drain valves



Sept. 1, 1959.v J. b. BERING DRAIN VALVES INVENToR. JORGEN D/E TZ vBER/N6 w This-invention relates rto af-drainwvalve-fforthe control of the passageof aeliquidleitherias a -continuousistream v'or inthe .form of -'a measured-volume. l It is'its: principal object to perform this function in a sanitaryiashionfin t the sense-that kthe valve mayxreadily-v be vtaken apart,

cleaned and reassembled, and that the channel through 'which the liquid ows contains no crevices or corners in which it may accumulate ina stagnantfashion, or other contaminatingfactors-such as exposure to materials'that may affect it. Further elements of importance are simplicityand ruggedness` of construction and operation, ease and quicknessy of action, great accuracy, close control of rate of flow, longwear Aand simple maintenance.

The principal operation features of this valve are seats of a lspecial contour, a mobile stem section with `one or Vtwo balls asm-seating member, .and a non-'rigid-or fluid-'arrangement lfor the movement of this stem part.

The materialv for these'seats and-balls should beof considerable 'hardness and corrosive resistance; stainless steel of various` types may be used.

Figure 1 vshows the structure of the valve'when designed for allowing a continuous vstream passage 'of liquid.

Figures 2 and 3 -show ythe valve-:whendesignedv for releasing a measured .volumevof liquid.

'-OnfFigure 1 the seat 1 mayinclude an exterior @upper section 2 that is threaded so that itA may bev attached to theV bottom of acontainer or to kthe endI of a tube -f with a properly matching threadedpart.' The bottom exterior part 3 may be tapered to formfanpedged'discharge Y opening.

The valve seat 1is:normallyheld-in awverticalv position-and its interior contour includesthese sections: A

straight cylindrical vertical Section 4 of a diameter somewhat less than that of-the-ball 11 '(anexample of dimensions Vlused in a specific instance: is givenlater);

cylindrical-section -8 of a diameter somewhat-larger than the ball and adjusted to allow a passage `of a .desired rate of flow of liquid through Vthe valve.r'f-'Into':thevupper section of this vertical sectionV `8 maybe cut two vertical grooves 9 for the guidance of the guide pin' 18.

The stemsection includes a valve bal1'11. If as in this case the stem section is moved Aby pushing yfrom below a stem 12- extends downward from the'ball11. The lower end ofthe stem 12/may be threaded hand equipped with a lifting assembly. 13 consisting of acenv ter nut 14 and lifter -rods 15 that-.mayfncarrys'small end balls 16 so that the valveflends itself readily to discharge into a cup. The stem part 17 :extends upward from'the ball=11 and carriesthe: guide pin18.

The stem section 10, as drawn in solid line,"shows it -when'the valve is inclosed position. Any ow of -liquid,isb1ocked by two linear and circularrstates of United States Patent;

.'cc'mtactrzbetweeny theavalve'ball: 11i anchthe seat 1, namely,

"along :thefcircle'19 asthe ballrrests onthe sloping seat section" 5,@ and alongthe i circlef- 4120:v as f the `-vertical sec- 4tion ftouches'the .ballxllxinetangentialffashion within a: clearing tha't'hasebeenireducedftotwvhat vI shall" term -capillaryf=clearance.

It is arrimportant -feature iota-my: invention thatA If. have found it possible tofreduce-thisclearance `.between the .valve ball-fand 'a'tubular sectio'rr` tonthe' state Yof capillary clearance .ate which*L the 'physical forcesfsuch Vas surface Y. ttension,-.a'clhesion and-.cohesion fare capable; of preventing fthe" passage of liquid :while 'it isl still possible to=movefthe ball freely provided thenball is moved'ina huid `fashion -deiinedby fthe absencefof.: rigidity -beyond f that caused by contact Ibetween thef'fballrand cylindrical'. section-.offthe to -a dropevery -few-seconds lwhich is of no materiail eiect upon the accuracy of a measuredvolume .during sthe, relatively'shore:periodsthe-` valve is opened-whenever .the valve iss used as a .measuringdevice as. it will be described later.

'Furthermore itlisfmy `iinding that if Vvthiseiect of capillary blocking of the:uliquid'raround the tangential circle 20 is combined with the gravitational' blocking etectfalongrthe"circle19 as the'valve .ball "rests on the sloped seat 'section 4,#then afcomplet'e'aud permanent `liquid' :closure "results.

"The opening of theuvalve` is`Y done byliftingthe Valve 'ball.11z abovewthe -seatewsections' Sand 6,-Y and. may be performed'eitherby pulling itfrom'above or by pushing it fromabelow; Thelattergprocedure isusedon Figure l .andr mayv bevactivated-ubyfpushingxthe edge of a vessel Such as a cup up against the lifter arms 15 and'moving clearance between vthe fball andthe' -vertical seat'A section 8. Thus the rate of flow of liquid through the 7Valve-can be v y'controlled with: considerable:accuracyithroughthe proper selection of thefdiameterrof thisS-seat section 8. Furtherfmore, as the liquid willfilow'aroundfthe bally and tend to 45 t wminimum turbulence and spreading isproduced.

pour-along "-thelstem. af smoothly"v moving stream' of Theclosing of the valve is vproduced by releasing the lifting-=force and allowing the .balll11 to return to its -resting-positionf on' therslopingseat section 4.

-Themoveinent ofetheistem'section is performed in a uidi fashionvin the Asense that'thei'onlyf rigidity im- -posedmpon it isthatv of Hthe :tangential circle of contact 20 between the ball 11.and'.the vertical seatsection 6.

#Asi infthercase of-fthe justtdescribedlifting.of the stern -ment totone. of a ygeuera1l-yfvertical nature.

l-s'ectiorrbyaneans of a cuppressing'against the lifter arms it may be found=.convenient tosrestrict this upward move- This may be attained f by adding-i theupwardf reaching stem section 17 ball 11' throughthe4 vertical seatsection 6 it is essential that -these-'grooves 9*'are'sul'liciently wide to form a sloppy fit for'the pintlSrand so assurey that no binding position occurs during'itstravel to its upper position 23.

It will be notedthat'thestructure of the valve conforms the.applicable standardsfor-sanitaryoperationashthey prevail within the various food industries.

y.,Byfthethreaded section 2- onrthe outsideaofthevalveseat y1 thefvalve may: be disconnected from-the vessel to whicl1 it is attached. fIhe-fnut -14 and-the male thread yon the end of stem section 12 permit the removal of the lifter assembly 13 from the stem sector whereupon it becomes possible to remove the entire stem sector from the seat. Thus all parts are left open for cleaning and inspection. Furthermore, the structure of the various parts do not give rise to the formation of any crevices in which foreign materials could accumulate. Finally the entire device lends itself to execution in materials, such as certain types of stainless steel, of bothcorrosion resistance and sufficient hardness to provideiniinite wear.v

In an operating execution of this valve as shown on Figure 1 these specifications were found useful: A stainless steel (formula #304) ball Vof a diameter of 5%." for item 11; the diameter of seat section 4 was 1716"; of the cylindrical seat section 6, .752"; of` seat section 6, .800; the vertical dimensions of these sections 4, 6 and 8 were respectively 3716", 1A, and lie. The sloping seat sections 5 and 7 were dened by their inclusive angles of 45 and 60, respectively. The outside diameter of the seat was 1" and the slope of the bottomysection 3 was of an inclusive angle of 60. The valve stem was made of 3716 rod; the guide pin of Ms" rod, and the grooves 9 were 3/16 wide. All material was stainless steel, most of formula #302.

As to the accuracy of these dimensions, the diameter of the ball was held within .0001. The diameter of the cylindrical seat section 6, determining the capillary clearance, was held within .0005. For the other dimensions the accuracy of average machining operation was found sufficient.

The selected diameter of .752" for the vertical seat section 6 providing a radial clearance of .0001 has been found suitable for both capillary liquid blocking and easy movement of the ball in case of water and dilute solutions. For liquids of greater viscosity a slightly large clearance may be used. The radial clearance should, however, not exceed .004 above which the closure in most cases becomes ineiective and the seepage excessive.

Figures 2 and 3 show my invention when the valve is adapted to discharge a measured volume of liquid. Figure 2 shows the valve in a closed position while Figure 3 illustrates its position when the measured volume is being discharged.

The lower section of the valve consists of a closing seat 41 similar to the seat shown in Figure Y1 except that the sloping cone section 7 extends to the outside of the seat. The valve seat 41 is pressed liquid-tight into the tubing 24 which at its upper end is attached to the bottom of the container 30 that holds the liquid to be discharged through the valve. The upper section of the tubing 24 contains a passing seat 25 which consists of three sections, namely an inward sloping cone section 27, a vertical cylindrical section 28 of a diameter that permits the ball 32 to pass with capillary clearance, and an outward sloping section 29.

In a similar fashion to that shown on Figure 1 the valve stem member includes a ball 11 that in closing position rests on the sloping seat section 5 and provides liquid blocking along the two tangential circles 19 and 20. In this case the stern 31 extends upward from the ball 11 to the upper ball 32 which is placed suciently below the sloping section 27 of the passing seat 25 to provide ample clearance for liquid ow from the vessel 23 into the valve chamber 26. Furthermore, the upper ball 32 is so placed that it closes in tangential fashion against the lower edge of the vertical section 28 when the valve stem member has been lifted exactly enough to move the lower ball 11 beyond the-vertical seat section 6. Thus the length of the stem section 31 is equal to the vertical distance betweenthe cylindrical seat sections 6 and 2S less the sum of the radii of the balls 11 and 32. The vertical extent of the clearance, in the closed position of the valve, between the ball 32 and the top of the sloping seat section 27 is approximately equal Yto 4 the length of the cylindrical section 6 of the lower closing seat.

When the valve stem member is moved further upward, as shown -on Figure 3, the upper ball 32 is brought into the position 40 in which it causes capillary liquid blocking against the seat section 28 of the passing seat 25. At the same time the lower ball 11 has been lifted into the position 39 and suiciently above the sloping seat section 7 to allow adequate liquid passage for discharge of the measured volume held in the valve chamber 26. This clearance is related to the length of the cylindrical section 28 of the upper passing seat 25. The measured volume of liquid thus discharged can be determined with great accuracy by the proper selection of the diameter of the tube 24 and the distance between the lower closing seat 41 and the upper passing seat 25 at either end of the tube 24. After the measured volume of liquid has been discharged the valve is returned to its closed position by relieving the force that lifts the valve stern member so that it drops by gravity into the position shown in Figure 2. i

The lifting of the valve stem member may be done either by pushing from below or by pulling from above. In any case it must be performed in a fluid fashion in the sense that the valve stem member at any time must be exposed only to the rigidity produced by one ball moving with capillary clearance within a seat section. This effect is attained (a) by the proper selection of the length of the stem section 31 between the balls 11 and 32, and (b) by the proper fluid structure of the lifting arrangement.

The fluid lifting `arrangement-as shown on Figures 2 and 3 and which is to be taken as one of various possible arrangements-consists of these parts: A stem section 33 extending upward from the ball 32 and reaching above the liquid level in the container 30; two spaced balls 34 and 35 near the upper end of the stem 33 and between them the ring 37 which is part of the lifter arm 36. The spacing between the balls 34 and 35 and the orifice of the ring 37 is dimensioned to assure the free and non-rigid lifting of the valve stern assembly. The lifter arm 36 is bent to provide a handle section outside the container 30 and `a limited movement as it rides over the edge of the container and of suflicient magnitude to cause the lifting of the valve stern member from the closed position shown in Figure 2 to the Vdischarge position in Figure 3.

The specifications for an operating example of this type of measuring valve are as follows: The measured volume of discharge is in this instance predetermined as one-half fluid ounce. The dimensions for the closing seat 41 are the same as these given for the execution of the seat 1 in Figure l in regard to sloping sections 3, 5 and 7 and for the vertical seat sections 4 and 6. The straight section 28 of the passing seat 25 is of a diameter of .752" and 1/2 long; the included angles of the sloping seat sections 27 and 29 are both 60. The outside diameter of both the closing seat 41 and the passing seat 25 is machined to make a press fit into the tubing 24 of an outside diameter of 1%" and a wall thickness of 18 gauge. The balls 11 and 32 were both of a diameter of 1%", and the length of the stem section between them was 7a". The final accuracy in regard to the volume of the measured discharge from the valve is obtained by pressing the bottom seat 41 into the tubing 24 until testing of the discharge volume shows the correct magnitude. An accuracy well within 1% may be reached in this fashion.

The measuring valve as shown in Figures 2 and 3 uses a combination of a closing seat 41 and a passing seat 25 placed in the lower and the upper lend of valve chamber respectively. This arrangement would conform with a desire for positive closure by the closing seat and the instant removal of the stern member from the valve through the passing seat. The passing seat, however, will tend to cause seepage that may be of no importance if the valve is only held in discharging position for a relatively short period of time. If such seepage should be found objectionable both seats may take the form of closing seats. Altogether the combination of passing seats and closing seats may be varied to meet specilic conditions.

In lgeneral it will be noted that the valve stem parts referred to as balls, and on the drawings as items 11 and 32, do not necessarily have to take the form of complete balls. It is only the sections encompassing the circles of contact with the seats, such as 19 and 20 onk Figure 1, that must be of a spherical nature as ball sectors and of a diameter as determined by the relationship to the dimensions of the seats.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A liquid drain valve comprising a ball, and a seat with a lower vertical cylindrical section of a diameter of no more than eight thousandths of an inch in excess of that of the ball and which downward adjoins an inward sloping cone section, and which upward adjoins an outward sloping cone section that upward adjoins an upper vertical cylindrical section of a diameter sufiiciently in excess of that 0f the ball to assure a predetermined rate of liquid flow through the valve, and facilities for lifting said ball from the lower cylindrical section into the upper cylindrical section and in a manner that excludes all rigidity except that imposed upon the movement by the lower cylindrical section of the seat.

2. A liquid valve comprising a Xed housing and a moveable valve member; said housing having an interior passage defined in part by a first cylindrical section, a second cylindrical section and a conical section; said first cylindrical section having a diameter substantially in excess of the diameter of said second cylindrical section and said conical section having a major diameter the same as the diameter of said second cylindrical section; said second cylindrical section and said conical section directly adjoining one another and both being formed of a rigid material; and said movable valve member having a rigid ball section with a diameter less than,

and within .008 of an inch of, the diameter of said second cylindrical section and being moveable axially within said interior passage alternatively (1) to a closed position wherein the ball sector of said stern forms a line contact seal with said conical section and a line hydrostatic seal with said second cylindrical section and (2) to an open position wherein said Iball sector is within said first cylindrical section and out of engagement with both said second cylindrical section and said conical section.

3. A liquid valve comprising a stem with a rigid ball sector and a seat with a vertical rigid cylindrical section with a diameter of no more than .008 of an inch in excess of that of the ball sector, and which downwardly adjoins an inwardly sloping rigid conical section, and which upwardly adjoins an outwardly sloping conical section which upwardly adjoins a housing section, substantial clearance being provided between said ball sector and said housing section whereby liquid may flow through the valve at a substantial rate when said ball sector has been lifted to an open position in said housing section and whereby the said ball rests on the lower inwardly sloping conical section in its closed position and forms two lines of sealing contact one against the lower conical section and the other against the adjoining vertical cylindrical section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 343,327 Lowrie June 8, 1886 645,706 Grant Mar. 20, 1900 1,011,797 Howell Dec. 12, 1911 1,859,479 Thwaits May 24, 1932 2,106,671 Watson Jan. 25, 1938 2,248,958 Christensen et al. July 15, 1941 2,262,169 Crowley Nov. 11, 1941 2,788,027 Ullman et al. Apr. 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,381 Germany Ian. 11, 1927 

